50 Clyde St was originally purchased in 1937 by the Newcastle and Suburban Co-operative Society Ltd, known locally as “The Store”. It was the most successful co-operative society in the southern hemisphere, housing the largest bakery and stable of Clydesdale horses in Australia, with furniture and grocery departments, alongside community welfare and entertainment programs, until it closed its doors in 1987.
The beginnings of Clyde St rebirth, some 30 years later, welcomed artist tenants such as Doug Heslop, Marc Adam, Bill Reid, James Drinkwater and Lottie Consalvo, bringing their artistic practices to vacant warehouse spaces.
Image: There Is Just Time, Brontë Naylor (2022)
In 2017, the precinct project began with the organic co-location of artists and creative practitioners. The innovative repurposing of 36 industrial sheds and warehouse spaces now houses 26 diverse enterprises, providing a deep sense of community for over 100 people working in creative industries.
The establishment of 50 Clyde St during the last 6 years is due to the collaborative efforts of precinct co-founders David Saddington, Michele Oshan and Braddon Snape.
Their vision of developing and fostering a flourishing, creatively diverse community has resulted in a non-tradition urban creative economy, giving new life to industrial sites with uniquely historic ties to Newcastle and the Hunter region.
Image: ‘Where Times are, were and may be in the Clyde Street Precinct’
Liz Anelli Clyde Street Map (2022)